Born: March 12, 1960
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan

Harvard and Yale grad Courtney Vance has been in theater arts since he was in college. Appearing in such movies as The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher's Wife, and Space Cowboys -- Vance starred as a regular in the NBC television series "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" as Ron Carver (2001 - 2006). He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward and currently appears on the TNT series The Closer. Vance's feature film roles have won him praise over the years and his early credits include Hamburger Hill (1997), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Beyond the Law (1993), Holy Matrimony (1994), Law & Order (TV-1990-1995), Panther (1995), The Tuskegee Airmen (TV-1995) The Last Supper (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996), Blind Faith (1998), Ambushed (1998), Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (TV-1998), Love and Action in Chicago (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Boston Public (TV-2000), D-Tox (2002), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV-2001-2006), Nothing But the Truth (2008), Hurricane Season (2009), Extraordinary Measures (2010), The Divide (2011) and Joyful Noise (2012).. Vance has also produced independent films and along with his wife, actress Angela Bassett, wrote a book entitled "Friends: A Love Story."

Born: November 23, 1949
Birthplace: Tuskegee, Alabama

The self-professed "hardest working man on the radio" -- Tom Joyner ("The Fly Jock") is a nationally recognized radio host and founder of the Tom Joyner Foundation, and REACH Media Inc. An accomplished nationwide broadcaster, Joyner began his broadcasting career in Montgomery, Alabama and later moved to Chicago. A true hard worker, Joyner commuted quite often and worked at two radio stations--one in Chicago and the other in Dallas. Joyner was signed by ABC radio in 1995 to host the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. Still going strong, Joyner was inducted in the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the MLK National Historic Site on January 12, 2008.

Born: April 20, 1970
Birthplace: Oakland, California

Rising to fame on daytime soaps, Shemar Moore is one of the most talented young actors in Hollywood. Best known for his 8-year stint as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless, Moore was also the third permanent host of Soul Train from 1999-2003. He currently stars as FBI Special Agent Derek Morgan on the CBS crime-drama Criminal Minds. In addition to The Young and the Restless, Moore's film and television history includes The Jamie Foxx Show (TV-1996), The Nanny (TV-1997), Butter (1998), Box Marley (2000), How to Marry A Billionaire: A Christmas Tale (2000), The Brothers (2001), Birds of Prey (TV-2002), Chasing Alice (2003), Motives (2004), The Seat Filler (2004), Greener (2004), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), Criminal Minds (TV-2005-Present), and Motives 2: Retribution (2007).

Born: July 20, 1973
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York

Omar Epps is a versatile and talented actor born in Brooklyn, NY. Epps' television and acting career is impressive, and he has appeared in dozens of films including The Green Flash (1989), Juice (1992), The Program (1993), Major League II (1994), Higher Learning (1995), Scream 2 (1997), Blossoms and Veils (1998), Breakfast of Champions (1999), The Mod Squad (1999), In Too Deep (1999), The Wood (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Brother (2000), Dracula 2000 (2000), Perfume (2001), Conviction (2002), Against the Ropes (2004), Alfie (2004) and A Day in the Life (2009). Epps was a recurring character (Dr. Dennis Gant) on the U.S. drama series, "ER", but Since 2004, he has played the role of Dr. Eric Foreman on the Fox medical drama "House."

Born: July 6, 1975
Birthplace: Queens, New York

Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, rose to fame after releasing his 2003 best-selling album Get Rich of Die Tryin'. Growing up in South Jamaica, Queens proved to be a huge influence on the rough, no B.S. rapper who is responsible for signing rappers like Young Buck and Lloyd Banks to his G-Unit record label. 50 Cent hit the big time after his CD Guess Who's Back impressed Eminem and later, Dr. Dre. In addition to his lucrative rap career, "50" is an accomplished actor, fashion designer, and has provided voice-overs for several video games. He has a multitude of future projects on the table including new movies, voice-overs, endorsements and recording albums.